The former Dublin city and county manager, Mr George Redmond, insisted yesterday that Mr James Gogarty gave him a cheque for £25,000 as a finder's fee for the sale of land in 1988.
Mr Redmond also said he received a cheque for £2,000 from Mr Liam Conroy, former chief executive of the Murphy Group, in a "throw-away gesture" for writing a report on the status of Murphy group lands at Poppintree, Dublin, in 1987.
Yesterday, the former council official spent the day being cross-examined by Mr Gogarty's lawyer, Mr Frank Callanan SC, who said that Mr Gogarty had always denied he gave money to Mr Redmond.
Mr Callanan said to Mr Redmond: "I suggest that your account of receiving £25,000 from Mr Gogarty was a ruse to provide a cover for monies you did receive from the Murphy Group but not through Mr Gogarty and to conceal your fraud and breach of fiduciary duty as an officer of Dublin County Council."
Mr Redmond replied: "That's false. Your client gave me the money."
Mr Callanan asked why he had not mentioned anything about the two payments in his first statement to the tribunal. He had waited until the second statement in March this year.
Mr Redmond said in the first statement he was responding to the allegations by Mr Gogarty. That was what the tribunal asked him to do. The second statement was one which he volunteered.
Mr Callanan said he was arrested on February 19th at Dublin Airport and the second statement was received by the tribunal on March 3rd. Was he seriously suggesting his arrest had no effect on bringing about his second statement?
Mr Redmond said his recollection was that these were not connected. He could not see how it could have influenced it anyway.
Mr Callanan asked about the report and the £2,000 he said he received for it.
Mr Redmond said Mr Conroy gave him the cheque for £2,000 at a lunch with Mr Gogarty in the Westbury Hotel. Mr Gogarty introduced him to Mr Conroy. He met Mr Conroy only that one time in 1987.
Mr Callanan asked about his statement that Mr Gogarty made a payment of £25,000 to him which Mr Gogarty denied.
Mr Redmond said he just got it from Mr Gogarty. Mr Gogarty asked him to meet him in Clontarf Castle and was very pleased that he had achieved the sale of the Forest Road land to Mr Michael Bailey.
Mr Redmond thought it was a payment for getting a purchaser for JMSE lands and was a finder's fee.
Mr Callanan put it to him that he had not introduced Mr Bailey to Mr Gogarty. Mr Redmond replied that he had introduced them.
"Of course, I regret it now, giving rise to all of this. I was the one who did it," he said.
Mr Callanan said Mr Gogarty's evidence was that there was a meeting in Clontarf Castle sometime before June 1989, with Mr Redmond, Mr Joseph Murphy jnr, Mr Frank Reynolds and Mr Bailey.
Mr Redmond said that meeting never took place. He had never met Mr Murphy jnr in his life. He was not aware of his existence or that of Mr Reynolds.
Mr Callanan said Mr Gogarty's evidence was that Mr Redmond at that meeting referred to having struck his neck out in relation to Turvey House.
"Untrue. There's absolutely no justification for me saying that. I had no hand, act or part in Turvey House," said Mr Redmond.
Asked again about Turvey House, which was demolished, Mr Redmond said it was always open to the tribunal to call witnesses, the officers involved.
Mr Pat Hanratty SC, for the tribunal, said that these witnesses would be called in due course.
Mr Callanan said Mr Gogarty's evidence was also that Mr Redmond said he had an arrangement with Mr Conroy for a consultancy when he retired in June 1989.
"I hadn't. I only met the man once. Is there any evidence anywhere that I had such an arrangement?" asked Mr Redmond.
The tribunal adjourned until Tuesday when the evidence of Mr Gay Grehan, JMSE executive, and his wife, Dr Mary Grehan, will be heard. Mr Redmond is expected to be recalled to the witness box on Thursday when he will be examined by his solicitor, Mr Anthony Harris, and re-examined by tribunal lawyers.